Introductory text

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1005/2009 of 16 September 2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on substances that deplete the ozone layer^f1, and in particular to Articles 10(2) and 16(1) thereof,

Whereas:

The release for free circulation in the Union of imported controlled substances is subject to quantitative limits.

The Commission is required to determine those limits and allocate quotas to undertakings.

Furthermore, the Commission is required to determine the quantities of controlled substances other than hydrochlorofluorocarbons that may be used for essential laboratory and analytical uses, and the companies that may use them.

The determination of the allocated quotas for essential laboratory and analytical uses has to ensure that the quantitative limits set out in Article 10(6) of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2009 are respected, applying Commission Regulation (EU) No 537/2011^f2. As those quantitative limits include quantities of hydrochlorofluorocarbons licensed for laboratory and analytical uses, the production and import of hydrochlorofluorocarbons for those uses should also be covered by that allocation.

The Commission has published a notice to undertakings intending to import or export controlled substances that deplete the ozone layer to or from the European Union in 2017 and to undertakings intending to request for 2017 a quota for these substances intended for laboratory and analytical uses^f3, and has thereby received declarations on intended imports in 2017.

The quantitative limits and quotas should be determined for the period 1 January to 31 December 2017, in line with the annual reporting cycle under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Article 25(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2009,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: